New From Me To You hub opens in Falkirk shopping centre

From Me To You was founded by Grangemouth-raised twins Emma and Gemma McGregor.

The sisters, who run the organisation with their friend and fellow trustee Emma Graham, support individuals and families who cannot afford to buy day-to-day essential goods and household products which most people take for granted.

The women moved the charity into new premises in Callendar Square shopping centre on Friday, with Falkirk district MPs John McNally and Martyn Day cutting the ribbon to officially declare the shop open.

A 13,100-member-strong From Me To You Facebook forum sources and matches donations from members of the public to those in need.

The service has acted as a vital lifeline amid the coronavirus pandemic as it is provides a lockdown-compatible, virtual platform for online exchanges.

Stenhousemuir teen with history of convictions threw stones at policewoman

The new store features a range of items, all of which are available free of charge to people experiencing challenging circumstances.

From Me To You has developed partnerships with a number of other charitable organisations across Falkirk district, including the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB), Kersiebank Community Project in Grangemouth, Lyn’s Small Animal Rehoming and Friends Of Falkirk.

Plans are also in place to introduce a walk-in CAB outreach facility in the Callendar Square store.

Bill Palombo, Grangemouth CAB manager, said: “We were delighted to receive funds from The Robertson Trust to work in partnership with From Me To You.

“Many of those receiving the valuable support of From Me To You have issues commonly dealt with by a Citizens Advice Bureau.

“This complimentary partnership means they will now receive a fuller and more efficient service.

“While Citizens Advice expects to deal mostly with welfare benefits and debt-related issues, users of the From Me To You service will also have easy access to the full range of CAB services.

“Working in partnership with From Me To You will help to reduce the number of people being referred to several different agencies as well as reaching those in need at an earlier stage.”

Visit the From Me To You Facebook page for more details.

Thank you for reading this article on our free-to-read website. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

Please consider purchasing a subscription to our print newspaper to help fund our trusted, fact-checked journalism.

https://www.localsubsplus.co.uk/nord/dm/FKH/V